Voting-machine



(No Model.) 5 sheets-sheen 1. J. MOTAMMANY.

VOTING MACHINE.

No. 550,052. Patented Nov. 19, 1895.

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No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. MOTMMANY. VOTING MACHINE.

No. 550,052. Paten-ted Nov. 19, 1825.

@2l f 75M Mudd/MM? n Zww va?? ANDREW ELHAHAM. PHOTO-LTTHQWSMNG'I'DN. DE.

(No Model.) J. MCTAMMANY. 5 Sheefcs-Sheet 3.l

VOTING MACHINE. No. 550,052. Patented Nov. 19, 1895.

(No Model.) 5 Shets-Sheet 4. J. MGTAMMANY.

VOTING MACHINE.

Patented Nov. 19, 1895.

Inu/ENTE] Fa:

n ,Ufa )wm/M ANDREW ELRAHAM. PHOTOLITNUWASHINGTUN. D.C.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

J. MGTAMMANY.

VOTING MACHINE.

(No M odel.)

1 WITNESEES:

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INVENTUR; al @MAM/M? MJ-wwf l AN DREW EGRAHANL PHOTO LITRO-WASHINGTON!)C UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN MCTAMMANY, OF SPENCER, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPECIFGATION forming part of Letters Patentl No. 550,052, dated November19, 1895. v

Application iiled September Z8, 1894. Serial No. 524,352. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

;c it known that I, JOHN MCTAMMANY, of Spencer, in the county ofVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Voting- Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention relates to voting apparatus, whereby the use ofindividual ballots is dispensed with and the voter by simply turning ahandle registers his vote.

The invention contemplates numerous provisions for rendering such anapparatus simple, compact, and easy to manage, and for guarding againstfraud, insuring an accurate count, and preserving the secrecy of theballot.

The invention consists in a number of novel constructions andcombinations of parts, which are recited in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification,illustrate an apparatus embodying the invention.

Figure l shows a top plan view of the machine by which the votes areregistered. Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of the same with two of theoperating-knobs removed. Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the machine withthe top lid removed and with certain registering-plates represented asbroken out. Fig. i shows a section on line 4E et of Fig. 3 with the toplid down. Fig. 5 shows a rear elevation of the machine with the backdoor represented as broken away. Fig. 6 shows a section on line (.3 (5of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 shows a rear elevation, similar to Fig. 5, of part ofthe machine under a diifcrent adjustment than in said Fig. 5. Figs. Sand 9 show sectional views, on an enlarged scale, of a form ofregistering-traveler or separable nut employed in conjunction with ascrew-shaft, Fig. S showing the nut closed and Fig. 9 showing it open.Fig. l0 shows a perspective detail view of certain locking devices. Fig.l1 shows a section on line 1l ll of Fig. 6. Fig. l2 shows a perspectiveview of the complete voting apparatus, and Fig. 13 shows a longitudinalsection of the greater portion of the same.

The vote-registering machine here shown is double-2`. e., it has a lidor cover on both top and bottom. Each lid is composed of a skeletoncasting a, forming panels for the ballots, and a base-plate c', securedto the under side of said casting, the latter being rabbeted to receivepanes of glass a2 and cards underneath the panes bearing the names of'the candidates. To facilitate the insertion and removal of these cardsthe plate a is provided with holes a3 (see Fig. G) to admit the end of afinger for contact with the cards. The two lids are hinged, as shown ata4, to the rear wall b of the casing of the machine, and they shut downbetween the end walls b thereof and front wall b2.

W'ithin the casing there are arranged two tiers of screw-shaftscorresponding in number and position with the ballot-cards carried bythe lids, and the turning of these screw-shafts registers the votes forthe respective tickets. As here shown, the machine is arranged for useof the upper tier of shafts c to register straight party votes and thelower tier c/ to register votes on other matters-as, for instance, thequestion of liquor-license. However, the knobs d, by which the shaftsare turned, are interchangeable and can be arranged to suit therequirements. Alongside the screw-shafts there are secured plates e e,which are inscribed along the edges adjacent to the shafts withdivision-marks and numbers. Each screw-shaft carries a traveler of thefollowing description: A rectangular frame or casing f surrounds thescrew and contains a bed-piece f, closely fitting the lower half of thesaid screw, but not engaging the threads thereof. A halfnut f2 is fittedto slide vertically in the casing into and out of engagement with thescrew and has fastened in it a stem or shank f3, which extends looselythrough the top of the casing and has a knob f4 by which to raise thehalf-nut out of engagement with the screw and move the traveler alongthe screw without engaging its thread. A spiral spring f5 surrounds thestem f3 between the top of the casing and the half-nut and exerts itselfto press the latter into engagement with the screw.

The casing f is formed on opposite sides with lugs or fianges f6, whichtake under the plates c, and angular pieces f7 are fastened to thecasing and their horizontal portions eX- tend over the plates c and areformed with slits to register with the marks inscribed in the plates.

The screw-shafts find bearings inthe rear TOO wall of the casing and inpieces b3, fastened to the front wall, and the latter is cut out /aroundthe shafts to receive the shanks of the knobs d. Each knob isconstructed as follows, (see Figs. G and 1l z) An annulus (l is recessedand shouldered, and a disk d is fastened to it and is formed with atubular shank or stem (Z2, adapted to iit over the shaft and havingacross-pin di; to engage a cross-slot 1o in the shaft for rotativelyconnecting the knob and shaft. XVithin the recess of the knob there isarranged a disk d", which is free to rotate and is overweighted at oneside to keep it always in one position. rlhis disk bears an inscriptionsignifying for what vote its knob is to be turned, and by thearrangement just described this inscription will always be right side upand readable. The disk d* is supported by engagement of a trunzo nien dithereon in the tubular shank d?. A glass d is placed in the knob infront of the disk and a ring or band (V holds it in place. The back diskd can be readily detached by removing a couple of screws and theinelosed 2 5 disk d" can be changed when desired.

Then the machine is not in use, the knobs are detached from the shaftsand are kept inside the machine on the plates c, which are perforated toreceive the shanks of the knobs.

3o Means are provided for simultaneously locking and unlocking the knobsunder control of the supervisor, such means being of the followingdescription.

The shank of each knob is formed with an 3 5 encircling groove g, whichcomes inside the casing when the knob is fitted to the shaft. Each ofthe bearing-pieces h3 is recessed to receive a plate g', which is formedwith perforations g2, through which the knob-shanks 4o pass, and slotsg3, leading from said perforations and of less width than the diameterof the latter.

The plates g may slide en dwise to a limited extent, and when moved tothe limit in one direction their perforations g2 are in register withthe holes in the front of the casing, so as to permit the insertion andremoval of the knob-Shanks, whereas, when the said plates are moved tothe limit in the opposite direction portions of them at opposite sidesof the slots g3 (see Fig. 2) cross the holes in the casing by reason ofthe contraction of said slots, and when the knobs are in place theseportions en gage the grooves g and lock the knobs.

5 5 A lever g4 is pivoted at its middle on a fixture fastened to thefront of the casing and is slotted near its opposite ends for engagementwith studs on the plates g. It will be seen that by turning saidv leverthe plates will be 6o shifted in opposite directions. rlhe openings inthe two plates are arranged reversely, so that the movement of saidplates in opposite directions produces the same effect of both inlocking or unlocking the knobs. A spiral spring g5, attached at one endto the lever and at the other end to a fixed support, exerts itself tohold the plates in locking position. To release the knobs or to preparethe plates to receive the knobs the lever is turned against the tensionof the spring through the medium of a rock-shaft g, fastened to thecenter of the lever and extending rearwardly through the back of thecasin g, beyond which it carries a thumb-piece gl.

In voting the knobs d are turned, so that the travelers are caused tomove along the registerl plates by the engagement of the screw-shaftswith the half-nuts of the travelers, and in the arrangement here shownthe knobs can only be moved through one-quarter of a turn at a time, sothat a complete vrotation of a screw-shaft records four votes, thedivision-marks and numbers on the plates being arranged accordingly, asclearly shown in Fig. 3. One complete turn of a knob registers fourvotes, but nieves the index only one mark on the scale, the marks beingmade to correspond. with the threads of the screw. At four equidistantpoints around the shaft, at a part which can be conveniently seen inconnection with the scale, there are inscribed numbers from l to i.These are here shown on the hub ,5' of a gear hereinafter mentioned, andthey register votes between the marks on the scale.

The .means employed to limit continued movement of the screw-shafts to aquarterrevolution will next be described.

Each shaft carries aflixed to it behind the rear wall of the casing afour-toothed ratchet or star wheel 7i, and for each of said wheels thereis a detent-slide hf, recessed in its upper side to form a shoulder 7b2for the ratchetteeth to act against. At the opposite. end of the recessthere is formed a lug h3, which acts as a stop to the rotation of' theratchet-wheel. rlhe detent-slide is allowed sufficient movement to carrythis lug 7N into and out of the path of the ratchet-teeth.. Thedetent-slides are independently supported by ribs 7b* on the casing, thesaid slides bein g slotted to engage these ribs. In the normal conditionof parts the detent-slides are all at the limit of their movement towardthe left, as the parts are viewed in Fig. 5, (referring now to the uppertier of det-ents.) Upon rotation of any of the shafts c, a tooth of itsratchet-wheel acts against the shoulder h2 of the detent and slides thelatter to the right, so that its lug h3 stands in the path of theuppermost tooth and limits the movement of the shaft to aquarterrevolution. The same arrangement is used in the lower half of themachine, only it is reversed, and both sets of means are restored tonormal condition at one operation through devices under control of thesupervisor, and which will next be described.

Resetting slide-bars h5 are arranged in cenjunction with thedetent-slides, there being one of these bars for each set or tier ofdetents. Each bar is provided with ribs 7L, projecting on one side andarranged in pairs, between which project lugs h'l, formed on thedetent-slides, the ribs of each pair being .TOO

IIO

spaced a sufficient distance apart to allow the required movement of thedetents.

Near one end of the machine a lever 71,s is pivoted between the two barsh5, and this lever carries a cross-head h9 which extends across pins h1"on the bars. of parts the bars h5 are at the limit of their respectivemovements in reverse directions, the upper bar to the left and the lowerbar to the right, as the machine is viewed in Fig. 5. Turning of any oneof the screw-shafts of either set shifts the bar belonging to that set,

and this moves the lever h up to the position shown in Fig. 1. Now itwill be seen that to displace the locking-detent it is simply necessaryto pull down the lever hs, and this is done by the supervisoigwho hascontrol of a cord 'i' attached to the said lever. A pull on this cordrestores all the detents to their normal positions.

Backward movement of the screw-shafts is prevented by the engagement ofgravitypawlsj with ratchet-wheelsj, aflixed on the shafts next to theratchets 7i..

In order to detect the voter in an attempt to turn more than one knob ofa set, I arrange an alarm of the following description, the arrangementin the upper half of the machine being referred to as that in the lowerhalf is exactly the same.

An ordinary bell 7c is supported at about the middle of the machine on asuitably-arranged cross-bar, and strikers corresponding in number withthe screw-shafts are provided in the form of sliding bars it,independently guided in slots or notches formed in crosspieces 7a2,fastened between the front and back of the machine. Each sliding bar 7cis formed with a lug k3 to act against the bell, and sprin k'L tend tothrow these lugs toward the bell. Each bar has another lug 71:5 andshafts 7.a, which are connected with the screw-shafts by gears k7, carryratchet-wheels ks to act against these lugs 7e, and move the slide-barsin opposition to the springs, so that when they have passed the lugs thesprings will throw the other lugs 7e3 against the bell. Thus it will beseen that the turning of any one of the screw-shafts will cause the bellto be sounded, an d an attempt on the part of a voter to register twodifferent votes will be detected by the bell ringing twice, and thesupervisor, by inspecting the rear of the machine, can easily tell whichtwo shafts were turned.

lVhile it may be said that if two shafts were turned together in exactlythe same time there would be but one sounding of the bell, yet inturning the two knobs of the shafts by use of the two hands there wouldbe little likelihood of their ever being turned in exactly the sametime, and unless they were the bell would be struck twice, as each shaftactuates a different striker.

The lower tier of shafts have a separate bell, and as it is often thecase that a voter is permitted to turn one knob of each tier this otherbell is of a different tone, so that no In the normal conditionconfusion can arise from the ringing of both bells.

The back of the machine is closed by a door m, which is hinged at itslower edge and held shut by a spring m.

Referring now to Figs. l2 and 13, it will be explained how it isproposed to employ the machine above described so as to secure asatisfactory result. The machine is rested on a table ny at one end ofthe same and is surrounded on all sides except the front by a screen orbooth o, which is made in sections hinged together, and is thus adaptedt0 be folded up in small compass when not in use. This screen isproperly secured to the table,

and two of its wings 0 extend out beyond the end of the table at eachside, so as to conceal the voter. These wings are held in place bybraces o2, fastened to them and to the table, and they are preferablymade with openings 03 to provide a natural place for the unemployed handof the voter to grasp the frame of the screen. A bar o4 extends in frontof the machine to keep the latter in place. The back of the screen ismade with an opening 05, through which the back of the machine isaccessible to the supervisor.

The table is made with a compartment under its top comprising a shallowportion p, adapted to hold the screen when folded up and a deeperportion p for the machine. The end of this compartment is closed by ahinged door p2. The portion pl of the compartment may be utilized forballots, and to this end the table has a slot p3. It is the design thatwhen a voter does not care to Vote a straight party ticket by themachine, he can use a ballot and deposit itin the slot.

The resetting-cord t' is carried down through the top of the table andalongunder the same to the end of the table, where it has a knob e", bywhich the supervisor may manipulate it. Sheaves i2 are fastened to theunder side of the table-top and support the stretch of cord extendingunder the same.

In explanation of the operation of the apparatus the following may besaid: The apparatus being arranged as shown in Fig. 12, the voter entersthe booth and finds displayed before him the different tickets, therebeing one party ticket in each panel of the top lid of the machine, asclearly indicated in Fig. l. These tickets bear the names of the partiesconspicuously and the knobs d are correspondh ingly indicated by theinscriptions on their inclosed disks. The upper tier of knobs7 which arethe ones used to register party votes, are directly in line with thetickets, so there can be no mistake as to which knob belongs to whichticket. The voter having selected the proper knob turns it as far as itwill go,and thereby registers his vote by moving the traveler, which isin engagement with the screw-shaft of said knob, along the scale markedon the adjacent plate.

The lower tier of knobs are generally intended to be used in addition tothe upper IOO IIO

tier and they are labeled to indicate for what they are to be used. Forexample, one may be inscribed for a vote in the affirmative on theliquor-license question and another for a negative vote. Then the voter,in addition to registering his party vote, is privileged to turn one ofthe knobs of the lower tier and thereby register his vote on the licensequestion.

The machine is capable of a variety of uses, for the knobs areinterchangeable and so are their inclosed disks, and they can be labeledin any way desired and arranged to suit circumstances. The machine iswell adapted for caucus use When numerous ballots are taken, for theseparable travelers allow of quickly restoring them to initial position,so that after one ballot has been taken the machine can be quickly putin condition for another ballot.

The machines accuracy in registering and its ample capacity will bereadily recognized and it is believed to be well calculated to meetevery requirement of a machine of its kind.

The complete apparatus is so arranged that it can be compacted in smallcompass, the booth and machine being stored away in the table, leavingthe top of the latter clear for any purpose it may be needed.

What I claim as my invention is as follows: l. In a voting machine, thecombination of a rotary hollow operating knob having a tubular stem, andan inscribed disk having a trunnion j ournaled in the stem of the knob,and weighted at one side to cause it to maintain the same positionnotwithstanding turning of the knob, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. In a voting machine, the combination of a suitable inclosing casing,two sets or tiers of shafts therein whose turning registers the votes,handles for the shafts having tubular shanks to slide over the same andinto the casing, said shanks having encircling grooves, a slidinglocking plate for each tier of handles perforated to embrace the handlesand having slots extending from the perforations, whereby endwisemovement of the plate engages it with the grooves in the handleshanks, acentrally pivoted lever having its opposite ends engaged with theplates, a handle for said lever, and a spring exerting itself to holdthe plates in locking position.

In a voting machine, the combination of a row of shafts whose turningregisters the votes, and each of which carries a ratchetwheel, a slidingdetent for each shaft recessed to receive a tooth of theratchet-wheel,which tooth acting against the shoulder at one end of therecess under rotation of the shaft moves the detent so as to bring it inthe path of another tooth of the ratchet-wheel; a releasing bar commonto all the detents; and means under control of the supervisor foroperating said bar.

4L. In a voting machine, the combination of two rows or tiers of shaftswhose rotation registers the votes, and each of which shafts carries aratchet-wheel, a sliding detent for each ratchet-wheel adapted to bemoved to locking position by the turning of the latter, a releasing barfor each tier of detents and a lever having a cross-head engaging thetwo releasing bars, substantially as and for thc purpose described.

5. In a voting machine, the combination of a plurality of shafts in gearwith registering mechanism, a bell, and independent slidebarsconstituting bell-strikers and arranged to be separately actuated by theshafts.

6. A voting apparatus comprising a table having a compartment under itstop with an elongated shallow portion adapted to contain a folded screenor booth, and a deeper box.- like portion adapted to contain a votingmachine, and also to serve as a ballot box, the top of the table oversaid deeper portion of the compartment having a slot.

7. A voting apparatus comprising a table having sheaves on its underside and a voting machine resting on said table at one end, and having aresetting cord which is carried by the said sheaves to the other end ofthe table where it is accessible to the supervisor.

8. A voting apparatus comprising a table, a voting machine of box-likeform resting on said table and having a door on the rear side, and afolding screen or booth erected on the table around the machine, andhaving an opening through which the rear side of the latter isaccessible.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 22d day of September, A. D.1894.

JOIIN MCTAMMANY.

Witnesses J. WV. TEMPLE, ERAsTUs J. STARR.

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